That is why you will see him working in the NBA more than likely next year. From my understanding he is one of three that might possibly get the call next year to work in the League.

I thought the NBA Officials Development Program was put in place to use the NBDL and the summer leagues (Utah, Vegas, Boston, etc) as evaluation/training grounds for potential candidates. Are you sure that your info. is correct? They can certainly hire whomever they want; I just thought they brought you up thru their system before you're hired into the league.

By the way, isn't he a little small for what they are looking for? Usually you've got to be 6'4" 220lbs+. As a smaller official, I hate that supervisors do that, but they do - because they can.

Nah, that has very little to do with it. If you can do the job, you'll get a spot. Eli Roe is 5 foot nothing and he was picked up this year.

You're right they do get picked up. Eli had been the NBA D-League(what it is called now) for 4 years and in the WNBA for about the same time before he got the call.

Tony has been in the D-League for a little while as well and I do hope he gets picked up because he does seem to do a real good job.

Olandis Poole went straight from NCAA to the NBA. Last year, I am pretty sure he did the Final Four. This year, he is a rookie on the NBA staff.

If you will check olandis if I am not mistaken worked in the WBA and I would also have to guess he worked in the D-League for at least a year. Some guys you see working big games could possibly be working in the D-League. These guys are not contracted exclusively to the NBA until they are in the League itself. The men and women who work the D-League and the WNBA very well work in D-I basketball somewhere.

If I were to guess, Hank Nichols knows he is about to lose Tony Greene next year so he got him to work the final four this year, but not on that alone, he is a hell of an official.

Some refs work both the NBDL and college ball. You saw that a lot with the Mr. Guthrie's SEC guys.


David Guthrie (rookie) and Eric Lewis (2nd year) are both products of that system and neither exactly falls in the 6'4" 220lbs category.

OP is another product of that system. This is his 2nd season in the NBA. He worked the 2004 UConn/Duke FF semi. He does fall into the 6'4" 220lbs category. He, along with Dwayne Gladden (East Coast D1 official), and Dave Draucker (MVC, other midwest conferences) are big guys I try to steal from.

Tommy Nunez Jr. went from the Pac-10 to the NBA. I personally know of at least 5 people working the D League, or WNBA and multiple college confrences.

And on the size issue Billy Kennedy is like five foot nothing and he's been in for 8 or 9 years. However his arms are about as big around as my thigh. And he could break me in half by just looking at me. So I think size matters, just the direction the size is in doesn't. But whats his face from Phoenix has been in a long time and his small, really small. I'm sure somebody remembers his name, I'm drawing a blank.

I just know that it was nice to see a college official at the highest level who excels in all facets of the game. So many times at the D-1 level, we see officials with really screwy mechanics or weird habits and it is great to watch a guy like Tony Greene who has the entire package. It does not surprise me that the NBA is interested in him, in fact it's kind of heartening.

I have not seen a correlation between size and successful officials in my part of the country. Not at the elite HS level or at the college level either.

Z

I hope this now helps people to understand that the NBA takes guys who are the best of the best, the only thing is that I assume(and you know what assuming does) that Tony decided he wanted to take a crack at the League later in his career so that is why he is in the SEC and working the big games. The guys that the NBA usually takes are taken before they get major D-1 conferences. They usually only make it as far as the Mid-Major D-1s before getting picked up. Take David Guthrie for example, he worked in the SEC for two years before he was picked up. The other two guys supposedly getting picked up this year besides Tony have less than 8 years in the SEC combined. It might even be lower than that.

Sorry for getting in on the thread late, but I have heard from an SEC tourney official that Tony Greene is, in fact, going to the NBA next year. Who are the other 2 getting the call, RefTN? By the way, haven't heard from you for a while. Shoot me an e-mail to let me know how your injury is doing and your plans for summer camps.

Like you said and I said I believe Tony is going to get the call, but the question is does he take it? Tony with all the reffing he does on top of his job which I heard he makes 6 figures or near it, is grossing about 250,000 a year so when and if he signs with the league he will be barely making 110,000. This will definitely be a topic talked and thrown around his household for the next days, if not weeks, if not months to decide what to do. I hope he goes to the league personally.

The other two that I have heard are John Goble, a fairly new SEC official, from Miami. Man that kid can ref, he is going to be a damn good one. P.S. He is not very stocky and is 6 foot maybe.

The other is Joe Forte's son Brian who also is fairly new to the SEC. Once again is a little over 6 foot and not near as stocky as John, and he can toot the whistle pretty damn good himself.

I have had the pleasure of sitting in the locker room with both these guys, and they are good. I remember asking Brian a question about a block/charge play after the game was over and he truthfully told me that he wasn't sure and he waited till the game tape got to them and we watched it time and time again and everyone was unsure, but they did all agree that it was something.

Sleebo if you would set it up where I can send you private messages I will send you one. It would be good to hear from you as well.